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Should Value Investors Buy Hewlett Packard (HPE) Stock?

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Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

One stock to keep an eye on is Hewlett Packard (HPE - Free Report) . HPE is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 9.56, which compares to its industry's average of 20.06. Over the last 12 months, HPE's Forward P/E has been as high as 10.80 and as low as 7.16, with a median of 8.67.

We also note that HPE holds a PEG ratio of 2.58. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. HPE's industry has an average PEG of 5.18 right now. Over the last 12 months, HPE's PEG has been as high as 2.78 and as low as 1.58, with a median of 2.26.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. HPE has a P/S ratio of 0.92. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.57.

Finally, our model also underscores that HPE has a P/CF ratio of 5.99. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 12.23. Over the past year, HPE's P/CF has been as high as 6.55 and as low as 4.24, with a median of 5.02.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Hewlett Packard is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, HPE feels like a great value stock at the moment.


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